Napa gets off to fast start with run to gain separation early, attacks bucket all night to beat Vintage for Big Game split
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Eric Thompson (Shamboozled.com)
Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
There are times when a game will be won with ease. These happen throughout the season.
On Tuesday night at Messner Gym, Napa High did this as they rolled to a 50-21 Big Game victory over rival Vintage, in the team’s final meeting of the league season.
The Grizzlies (10-13 overall, 5-6 Vine Valley Athletic League) were able to take control of the game at the start when they quickly went on a 7-0 run to begin the game. During this fast start, Napa also made a good amount of shots thanks to a good start on the offensive end.
“We’ve been really emphasizing, and I know I’ve mentioned to you before, just playing better basketball, and that included just playing with some tempo and trying to get out early and allow ball movement to make some things happen for us, and we’re starting to get better at that,” Napa High head coach Carson Carattini said of the strong start.
In the second quarter, Napa’s solid defense put the game away. They allowed just three points.
“We were just talking and we were rotating in help (defense),” Napa senior forward Aiden Faughn explained. “We were getting a lot of steals because once they drove, they just put their heads down. We were able to help and get a lot of steals.”
The Grizzlies’ three double-digit scorers also helped them in the game. One of the main reasons they were able to do this was the constant attack of the rim all night.
“It’s incredibly important,” Carattini said of scoring around the bucket. “We’re shooting 60% on the season from inside six feet, and that’s across the board. It’s not just one or two guys. We really emphasize that and that’s our strength so we just want to do that.”
Leading Napa in the game was Faughn who finished with 15 points and 3 rebounds in the game. The senior scored all of his points from deep in the game. He scored 9 points in the second half of the game.
“It was all preparation for me,” Faughn said of his performance. “I came in before the game, and I was just doing a lot of meditation and just trying to get my mind right. I had a couple of bad games before, and this whole time, I’ve just been trying to get in the right mindset, to get my confidence back. And I know that if I just shoot to make it, instead of shooting to shoot it, it’ll fall. So I know that I’m a good shooter. I just need to have the belief in myself.”
After that, there was a pair of players who had a nice double-double effort. One of them was junior Will Flynn. He finished with a nice game of 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in the game. The junior scored 8 points in the first quarter and 9 in the first half while also making 4 of 5 free throws.
The other was Gael Bazounguissa who also scored 12 points and 12 rebounds. The senior scored 7 points in the first half and made 3 of 4 free throws in the game.
Others scoring in the game for Napa were German Camacho (4 points, 5 rebounds), Cris Rendon (4 points, 3 rebounds), Tideus Chaidez (2 points, 1 rebound), and Patricio Buocristiani (2 points).
With the win, Napa has earned a Big Game split for the second year in a row. Oddly enough, both meetings this year have been decided in blowout fashion.
As for Vintage (8-15, 4-6 VVAL), the only time they were ever in the game was the first quarter. In this frame, they were able to cut the deficit to 11-6. But that would be the closest they were in the game.
“Definitely a rough one tonight,” Vintage head coach Ben Gongora explained. “Good ol fashioned butt whooping. Napa was aggressive and came right out the gate running. I congratulate them. Weird league this season. We lose to Napa after blowing them out at our place. Napa beats AC then loses to Petaluma. It’s just weird. I command the players who were questionable tonight for their effort to play. But our play was far from what we expect in terms of aggressiveness and execution and that’s because of what Napa did. Again kudos to Napa.”
“Weird league this season. We lose to Napa after blowing them out at our place. Napa beats AC the loses to Petaluma,” Gongora added. “It’s just weird. I commend the players who were questionable tonight for their effort to play but our play was far from what we expect in terms of aggressiveness and execution and that’s because of what Napa did. Again kudos to Napa.”
Scoring for the Crushers in the contest were Gabe Carrejo (6 points, 2 rebounds), Dominic Oram (5 points, 4 rebounds), Rory Holland (4 points, 3 rebounds), Evan Rosette (2 points, 5 rebounds), Adar Yildiz (2 points, 3 rebounds), and Grayson Frye (2 points).
Both teams will continue league play this week to end the season. Napa will host Antioch on Thursday at 7 before visiting Sonoma Valley on Saturday at 5:30 pm. As for Vintage, they’ll visit American Canyon on Thursday and then host Casa Grande on Saturday at 5:30 pm.
In the only other VVAL game on Tuesday, American Canyon beat Petaluma 54-39. The Justin-Siena-Sonoma Valley game was postponed due to weather and travel and will be made up on Friday at 7 pm.
